The present invention relates to impacting devices. The invention is particularly useful with respect to impacting devices driven by pneumatic drives and is therefore described below with respect to this application.
More particularly, the invention is especially useful in pneumatically-driven tools for punching or embossing workpieces, such as plastic or leather sheets and films, at high speeds and while the workpiece is in movement, i.e. impacting "on the fly". Many sheet impacting devices are known, but as a rule they are of expensive construction, or operate at relatively low speeds, or require intermittent movement of the sheet so as to impact it while it is relatively stationary.
An object of the present invention is to provide an impacting device, particularly useful with pneumatic drives, which is of very simple and inexpensive construction, and which can operate at a very high speed, in the order of about 7,000 cycles per minute, for punching, embossing or otherwise forming workpieces while they are moved in a continuous manner.